Apparently, President Bush has enough free time (while the media focuses on the Democratic Catfight between Obama and Hillary) to attend a taping of Deal or No Deal. That's right, President Bush is spending time making guest appearances on crappy NBC luck-based game shows instead of - what's that thing he's supposed to do? - oh yeah, run the freaking country.
Bush must have an affinity for showbiz, first breaking out a little tap dance a few weeks ago, and now this. Who knows, this could be a good thing! Judging by last week's Clinton/Edwards/Obama threesome on The Colbert Report, it appears Presidential candidates make for good guest stars. In fact, this could be a great thing if Bush were to make a stop on, oh, I don't know... The Daily Show?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
What's More Important--Being a Good Progressive or Being a Good Democrat?
I have to say that I'm more than a little intrigued by the prospective candidacy of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2008 race for the presidency. Don't get me wrong---I'm still rockin' for Barack all day long, but Obama has a 1 in 3 chance to be the Democratic nominee at this point, if you believe in the current tiers of the race.
Here's what we as Democrats might be faced with next year:
Hillary Clinton vs Mike Bloomberg vs Any of the JackAss Repugs running. Obviously, none of us are going to run to the Dixipublicans, but we'll have a real dilemma in left vs center battle. And, in my view, our Democratic nominee would represent the center.
Bloomberg is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, very green, anti-unilateralist, and sees politicians like himself as elected to solve problems---kinda like post-election Schwarzeneggar. And when we have people who run government believe in using the government to solve the nation's biggest problems---well, isn't that what progressives are all about?
Another thing to ponder---is it treasonous of me as not only a Dem voter but a local Dem officer to be having such blasphemous thoughts? I've been straight blue for as long as I can remember, but there's no doubt in my mind that I would cast a vote for Bloomberg over Clinton and others should they get the nomination, maybe even others considered more liberal than Bloomberg. I'm tired of the polarizing, and things need to get done. The planet is in crisis, and so is the nation's health. We need solutions. So, while I think Obama has the chance to be a generational leader, in the FDR/Kennedy tradition, I don't have that same belief about others.
Should I resign my position in the party now, or wait to see if BHO wins or not? In my heart, I'd like to think I know I'm progressive first, Dem second.
Here's what we as Democrats might be faced with next year:
Hillary Clinton vs Mike Bloomberg vs Any of the JackAss Repugs running. Obviously, none of us are going to run to the Dixipublicans, but we'll have a real dilemma in left vs center battle. And, in my view, our Democratic nominee would represent the center.
Bloomberg is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, very green, anti-unilateralist, and sees politicians like himself as elected to solve problems---kinda like post-election Schwarzeneggar. And when we have people who run government believe in using the government to solve the nation's biggest problems---well, isn't that what progressives are all about?
Another thing to ponder---is it treasonous of me as not only a Dem voter but a local Dem officer to be having such blasphemous thoughts? I've been straight blue for as long as I can remember, but there's no doubt in my mind that I would cast a vote for Bloomberg over Clinton and others should they get the nomination, maybe even others considered more liberal than Bloomberg. I'm tired of the polarizing, and things need to get done. The planet is in crisis, and so is the nation's health. We need solutions. So, while I think Obama has the chance to be a generational leader, in the FDR/Kennedy tradition, I don't have that same belief about others.
Should I resign my position in the party now, or wait to see if BHO wins or not? In my heart, I'd like to think I know I'm progressive first, Dem second.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
More great polling for the Prez!
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll just released, a full 60% of Americans want to see a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. It's now confirmed that the President is warmongering against the wishes of a big majority of Americans. We can speculate no further. . .
Even more startlingly, the poll revealed a searing rejection of the "they'll follow us home" garbage that the Chimp and Penguin keep spewing at us. Only 22% (!!!!!!!!!!) buy the argument that our Iraqi occupation is preventing terrorist attacks on US soil.
Again, I say, who is this quarter of the country that seems to believe what these guys say, no matter what? All credibility they had when they entered office over six years ago is completely shot by all acceptable standards. The American people now see these guys for what they are: liars.
Impeach. Withdraw. Restore our country.
Obama 08
Even more startlingly, the poll revealed a searing rejection of the "they'll follow us home" garbage that the Chimp and Penguin keep spewing at us. Only 22% (!!!!!!!!!!) buy the argument that our Iraqi occupation is preventing terrorist attacks on US soil.
Again, I say, who is this quarter of the country that seems to believe what these guys say, no matter what? All credibility they had when they entered office over six years ago is completely shot by all acceptable standards. The American people now see these guys for what they are: liars.
Impeach. Withdraw. Restore our country.
Obama 08
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
28%
New polling at CNN indicates that President George W Bush (I can barely say that with a straight face any more) has reached an all-time low of 28% approval rating with the American people. The same poll said that a full 64% of Americans voiced their disappoval with him as well.
Has anybody looked at the definition for fascism on the right side of this blog? We now know who these 28% are---the "elites" with whom he shares an uneasy collaboration to take away civil liberties, human rights, and wage never-ending war.
Maybe the most shocking thing isn't that Bush has low ratings---it's that almost 30% of the people remain complicit with his dealings.
Has anybody looked at the definition for fascism on the right side of this blog? We now know who these 28% are---the "elites" with whom he shares an uneasy collaboration to take away civil liberties, human rights, and wage never-ending war.
Maybe the most shocking thing isn't that Bush has low ratings---it's that almost 30% of the people remain complicit with his dealings.
Green Genius
US Sen Barack Obama is taking control of the environmental issue at its very core---the manufacturing practices of US automakers. While we can talk all day about recycling and changing lightbulbs, the car manufacturers (30%) and power companies (40%) make up a full 70% of global warming-related activities.
Obama is showing strong, practical leadership in insisting that US automakers get in line with their European counterparts, and start making some headway on getting fuel efficiency standards on all US autos in the 40mpg + range in the coming years. He believes the federal government has two roles to play---first, obviously, by enacting and enforcing regulations on GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler, but giving them tax incentives and employee healthcare benefits to spur the transition.
Obama's plan has been endorsed by the green giant of California, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who has ignored his pals in the GOP in his quest to make California the greenest state. We've been spending all this time in the media trying to figure out Obama's racial identity, and I think we've discovered it---he's green.
Obama is showing strong, practical leadership in insisting that US automakers get in line with their European counterparts, and start making some headway on getting fuel efficiency standards on all US autos in the 40mpg + range in the coming years. He believes the federal government has two roles to play---first, obviously, by enacting and enforcing regulations on GM, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler, but giving them tax incentives and employee healthcare benefits to spur the transition.
Obama's plan has been endorsed by the green giant of California, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who has ignored his pals in the GOP in his quest to make California the greenest state. We've been spending all this time in the media trying to figure out Obama's racial identity, and I think we've discovered it---he's green.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Who's the flip-flopper now?
Just a little tidbit. I never really liked John Kerry, but this is just something I've made a connection between during my multiple debates with friends and even enemies throughout the past few days.
Back in '03/'04, Bush said we went to Iraq to remove the terrorist threat that Saddam Hussein posed to America and to the rest of the world. Now, in 2007, Bush says we cannot leave Iraq because it will create a safe haven from which terrorists can launch attacks on us.
So the original reason we were in Iraq is because Saddam Hussein posed a threat to America, and the reason we're still there is because the lack of Saddam Hussein poses a threat to America!?
It makes perfect sense.
Back in '03/'04, Bush said we went to Iraq to remove the terrorist threat that Saddam Hussein posed to America and to the rest of the world. Now, in 2007, Bush says we cannot leave Iraq because it will create a safe haven from which terrorists can launch attacks on us.
So the original reason we were in Iraq is because Saddam Hussein posed a threat to America, and the reason we're still there is because the lack of Saddam Hussein poses a threat to America!?
It makes perfect sense.
Evangelical=Hate?
Hmmm. . .very interesting. The usual suspects, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson, Andrea Laffterty ofTraditional Values Coalition, and Tony Perkins of the American Family Association are rallying their opposition---not to abortion rights, not to gay marriage or civil unions, but to hate crimes legislation! Imagine that, prominent Christians standing tall, standing together as the body of Christ. . .to hate!
New legislation, inspired by the murder of Matthew Shephard in Wyoming, seeks to give protected status to gay people in existing hate crime laws that already protect African-Americans and other minorities from horrible crimes of physical violence and mental and emotional intimidation and harassment. We have these laws on the books for a good reason, since these crimes go beyond the intial victim, creating communities of fear and intimidation among the larger minority communities the victims represent. And certainly, gays and lesbians fall into a group that is often targeted by hate criminals---people who hurt and kill others because they are different.
While these people have a constitutional right to believe what they want about different sexual orientations, it's disgraceful to the church and to Jesus Himself for them to oppose this legislation. All of the above claim, in their own words, that the legislation would make evangelical ministers targets for prosecution and incarceration because of their words from the pulpit. My question to them is, "Why are you fighting so hard for hate speech?" It also makes me wonder if they ARE ALREADY inciting violence, and if they are just admitting it.
It's really past time that Christians and lovers of this country and its civil rights stand up to these people. They don't speak for all Christians---they are a loud, obnoxious minority that must be defeated. From now on, any time I hear the word "evangelical," I'm thinking "hate." If that wasn't clear already, it is now. Thanks for letting us know where you REALLY stand on human rights.
New legislation, inspired by the murder of Matthew Shephard in Wyoming, seeks to give protected status to gay people in existing hate crime laws that already protect African-Americans and other minorities from horrible crimes of physical violence and mental and emotional intimidation and harassment. We have these laws on the books for a good reason, since these crimes go beyond the intial victim, creating communities of fear and intimidation among the larger minority communities the victims represent. And certainly, gays and lesbians fall into a group that is often targeted by hate criminals---people who hurt and kill others because they are different.
While these people have a constitutional right to believe what they want about different sexual orientations, it's disgraceful to the church and to Jesus Himself for them to oppose this legislation. All of the above claim, in their own words, that the legislation would make evangelical ministers targets for prosecution and incarceration because of their words from the pulpit. My question to them is, "Why are you fighting so hard for hate speech?" It also makes me wonder if they ARE ALREADY inciting violence, and if they are just admitting it.
It's really past time that Christians and lovers of this country and its civil rights stand up to these people. They don't speak for all Christians---they are a loud, obnoxious minority that must be defeated. From now on, any time I hear the word "evangelical," I'm thinking "hate." If that wasn't clear already, it is now. Thanks for letting us know where you REALLY stand on human rights.
My Thinking
I support John Edwards unwaveringly because of the following reasons.
A. Our country needs to heal. The way to do that is to have a compassionate leader who understands what that process involves. John and Elizabeth do understand.
B. I believe that poverty, real poverty is ahead for MOST of all America because of the Iraq fiasco, outsourcing, the wealth gap, the lack luster educational system that is teaching students to a test, not to possibility thinking, etc. a la Bush
C. Family values should be what we seek in a candidate. John & Elizabeth represent the highest standards of FAMILY FIRST. John built his parents a home, for heaven's sake!
D. John's views on ending the war NOW, his wide scope health care plan, his views on the environment, his work in fighting poverty, his fundamental values on education, religion, & his views on international inclusiveness by bringing other countries back to friendship with America are but a few reasons why I support his candidacy.
I think that a ticket with John as President and Bill Richardson as veep would be the strongest one Dems could hope for.
There! I have said it. Thanks for the inspiration to put my thinking on paper. Now to write that letter to the editor about the fowl and feathers representative we have in Congress from the 5th district.
Matilda
A. Our country needs to heal. The way to do that is to have a compassionate leader who understands what that process involves. John and Elizabeth do understand.
B. I believe that poverty, real poverty is ahead for MOST of all America because of the Iraq fiasco, outsourcing, the wealth gap, the lack luster educational system that is teaching students to a test, not to possibility thinking, etc. a la Bush
C. Family values should be what we seek in a candidate. John & Elizabeth represent the highest standards of FAMILY FIRST. John built his parents a home, for heaven's sake!
D. John's views on ending the war NOW, his wide scope health care plan, his views on the environment, his work in fighting poverty, his fundamental values on education, religion, & his views on international inclusiveness by bringing other countries back to friendship with America are but a few reasons why I support his candidacy.
I think that a ticket with John as President and Bill Richardson as veep would be the strongest one Dems could hope for.
There! I have said it. Thanks for the inspiration to put my thinking on paper. Now to write that letter to the editor about the fowl and feathers representative we have in Congress from the 5th district.
Matilda
9/11! 9/11! 9/11!
Dear Mr. President:
It's not enough for you to claim at the end of your veto that the legislative branch is acting unconstitutionally by doing its constitutional function, which is legislating (then again, nobody will EVER mistake you for a constitutional scholar now, will they?).
You always have to go that one step further, and shout "9/11! 9/11! 9/11!" like some child who's just stolen a pack of gum being dragged back into the store kicking and screaming by his mom, who wants him to return it and apologize. What's so beyond the pale here is that in repeating these lies, which makes you a war criminal, you are trying to now lie us out of the war that you lied us into?
We all know what you're doing here. You're delaying the inevitable. You want the Democrat who gets elected next year to start the withdrawal, just so you don't lose face during your term and your cronies can continue to profiteer in the meantime. Let me remind you of what's going on while you scream like a petulant child:
1---People are dying by the thousands.2---People are getting maimed for life by the tens of thousands.3---A middle-Eastern country lies in ruins, and the middle and upper classes, who could have rebuilt it, have fled, because they have the money to do so.4---A North American country, once a shining beacon to the world, is now the world's thug, prosecuting offensive, illegal wars and engaging in kidnapping and torture without due process, while covering up prisoner abuses and contriving military heroes from friendly fire accidents.
That is your legacy--death, destruction, and the ruin of democracy. And while your veto is constitutional in nature, your war crimes are most certainly not. This is the beginning of the end for you, Mr President.
It's not enough for you to claim at the end of your veto that the legislative branch is acting unconstitutionally by doing its constitutional function, which is legislating (then again, nobody will EVER mistake you for a constitutional scholar now, will they?).
You always have to go that one step further, and shout "9/11! 9/11! 9/11!" like some child who's just stolen a pack of gum being dragged back into the store kicking and screaming by his mom, who wants him to return it and apologize. What's so beyond the pale here is that in repeating these lies, which makes you a war criminal, you are trying to now lie us out of the war that you lied us into?
We all know what you're doing here. You're delaying the inevitable. You want the Democrat who gets elected next year to start the withdrawal, just so you don't lose face during your term and your cronies can continue to profiteer in the meantime. Let me remind you of what's going on while you scream like a petulant child:
1---People are dying by the thousands.2---People are getting maimed for life by the tens of thousands.3---A middle-Eastern country lies in ruins, and the middle and upper classes, who could have rebuilt it, have fled, because they have the money to do so.4---A North American country, once a shining beacon to the world, is now the world's thug, prosecuting offensive, illegal wars and engaging in kidnapping and torture without due process, while covering up prisoner abuses and contriving military heroes from friendly fire accidents.
That is your legacy--death, destruction, and the ruin of democracy. And while your veto is constitutional in nature, your war crimes are most certainly not. This is the beginning of the end for you, Mr President.
Mission Accomplished
Originally posted on May 1, 2007
Ah, it was only four years ago today that we saw you touch down on the deck of the aircraft carrier wearing the outfit that your costume-designer in chief, Karl Rove, adoringly said, "really accentuates your manhood."
And now to commemorate your pile of lies and your incompetent, unwinnable war, with its thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of missing limbs and gallons of blood, gather 'round your cronies---"Heckuva job, Halliburton! Heckuva job, Blackwater!"---and raise a glass. To quote Borat, your toast shall forever be, "May George Bush drink the blood of the women and children of Iraq!"
Impeach. Withdraw. Restore our country from the depths you've plunged it, where we devalue the lives and deaths of others, where we see human rights documents such as the Geneva Conventions as "quaint"---thanks, Alberto, heckuva job to you, too!---and torture away while whistling Dixie.
You've pissed on our military families and shat on the constitution. Heckuva job, Bushie. Heckuva, job. What a man.
We'll see the helicopters take what's left of the soldiers out in January 2009, at the end of what will forever be known as Vietnam II. It's one thing to be so freaking stupid as to repeat history, but it's another level of idiocy entirely to fabricate a situation so you can repeat it.
God help us.
Ah, it was only four years ago today that we saw you touch down on the deck of the aircraft carrier wearing the outfit that your costume-designer in chief, Karl Rove, adoringly said, "really accentuates your manhood."
And now to commemorate your pile of lies and your incompetent, unwinnable war, with its thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of missing limbs and gallons of blood, gather 'round your cronies---"Heckuva job, Halliburton! Heckuva job, Blackwater!"---and raise a glass. To quote Borat, your toast shall forever be, "May George Bush drink the blood of the women and children of Iraq!"
Impeach. Withdraw. Restore our country from the depths you've plunged it, where we devalue the lives and deaths of others, where we see human rights documents such as the Geneva Conventions as "quaint"---thanks, Alberto, heckuva job to you, too!---and torture away while whistling Dixie.
You've pissed on our military families and shat on the constitution. Heckuva job, Bushie. Heckuva, job. What a man.
We'll see the helicopters take what's left of the soldiers out in January 2009, at the end of what will forever be known as Vietnam II. It's one thing to be so freaking stupid as to repeat history, but it's another level of idiocy entirely to fabricate a situation so you can repeat it.
God help us.
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